An article in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette heavily featured the input and analysis of MassBenchmarks Contributing Senior Editor, Alan Clayton-Matthews in a discussion of the various factors influencing the speed and strength of economic recovery. The article spoke to economists and business leaders from throughout the state about the obstacles to a robust recovery. Clayton-Matthews, who is also a professor at Northeastern University, cited a drop in the worldwide demand for the technology services and products which protected Massachusetts from reaching the depths of recession seen in other states. That drop, along with just a 0.1 percent growth in employment, a volatile stock market, U.S. government debt, European sovereign debt and worries about the growth of the global economy, lessen the collective optimism, but several entrepreneurs interpret even minimal growth as a positive sign.

Read the article, “2012 forecast: Economists see continued slow growth” (Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 1/1/12)